


assumptions

by lusterrdust



Category: Archie Comics, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Established Relationship, F/M, Misunderstandings, Romance, bughead - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2017-03-05
Packaged: 2018-09-28 09:55:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10089926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lusterrdust/pseuds/lusterrdust
Summary: "Betty’s blue eyes move rapidly over his face, watching his lips spew words that shift the ground beneath her like a black hole. The surety he has in his assumptions make her furious, and she’s suddenly glaring at him with pursed lips." [bughead]





	

▱◯♕

 _"the mind can calculate, but the spirit yearns, and the heart wants what the heart wants"_ _  
-Stephen King_

◯

 

“What…?”

She doesn’t think she’s heard him right. There is literally no way she’s heard him correctly. Not after all this time—not after _everything_ that’s happened…

Standing at the curb of her driveway, Archie before her, Betty stares, mouth agape at his confession.

_I was blind before, Betty. I couldn’t see what was right in front of me this whole time._

His eyes search hers with a desperation, feet moving forward before his hands rest gently on her shoulders. The gaze he gives her is one she would’ve swooned over months ago, one that would’ve had her knees buckle and her heart stutter, but now—now, she just feels ill. She feels _blindsided_. Confused and upset.

Archie moves his face closer and she can smell the aftershave that used to make her giddy with yearning. The scent she used to make excuses to get closer just so she could have a whiff.

But it’s not even the slightest of enjoyable right now. She feels no yearning. She feels no desire. Mixed with the scent of her boyfriend on his jacket over her frame, she feels sick.

“I do have feelings for you, Betty.” Archie continues, eyes flickering over her face as his hand moves up to cup her cheek. “I’m sorry I took so long. I’m sorry I—“

“You can’t!” Betty cries as she jolts away from his touch, taking a step back as her arms move to wrap themselves around her torso. “Y-you—I’m with _Jughead_ , Archie!”

Archie’s brows furrow in confusion and hurt, obviously not expectant of her reaction.

“But you two aren’t serious.” He says slowly, watching the sharp intake of breath it causes her. “You told me, the night of our dance, remember? You told me how you felt—“

“That was _months_ ago!” Betty snaps, feeling her throat close as the scramble of emotions run rampant inside her. “How dare you! How dare you do this to me now! And-and how dare you stand there and make assumptions on what my relationship with Jughead is!”

“Betty,” Archie looks wounded by her retorts and she instantly feels horrible; but her rant isn’t done. Not even remotely.  

“No! No, you don’t get to pick and choose who you want, _when_ you want!” she continues emotionally, digging her fingernails into the denim jacket. Her eyes water with unshed tears as she stares at him. “First Veronica, then Valerie, then Veronica again—now me? Why? Because you’re alone right now? Because I’m _finally_ happy with someone else? _Why_ , Archie? Why would you do this! We were doing fine! Us, as friends! We were doing good!”

“Why? _Why_!?” he huffs, suddenly defensive and pride wounded the longer the sting of rejection throbs in him. His hands gesture animatedly as he answers, “Because when you love someone, you tell them, Betty! You don’t wait—“

“Then why did you?” the blonde fires back, voice cracking. Her hand moves to wipe the tears in her eyes and she sees his own soften at the movement. “Why did you wait until now!?”

“I…” Archie stumbles for the right answer as the grimace on his face deepens the longer the realization of the hurt he’s caused her sink in. “I didn’t know, Betty. I swear I didn’t know until I realized I’d lost a good thing.”

Taking a tremulous breath in, Betty scrunches her eyes shut and shakes her head, tucking her chin. “I do love you, Archie… I do, but I—not like you want me to,“ her words stutter with the pressure to hold back the flood of emotions breaching to break through. “I can’t—“

The flood’s broken as her shoulders shake and a soft hiccup leaves her lips before he wraps her up in his arms.

“I’m sorry. I’m… I’m sorry, Betty.” Archie tells her emotionally, resting his chin over the blonde of her hair. He wishes the outcome had turned out differently. He wishes she was crying tears of joy instead of pain. But mostly, he wishes one day he can stop being the cause for it.

… … …

The next few days pass by like a blur for Betty.

There’s an awkward sort of tension between her and Archie at school, and it’s plain to everyone in their group that something’s awry. Veronica and Kevin are relentless in finding out what’s happened, but Betty keeps silent. She ignores the defeated look in the Archie’s eyes every time his gaze falls to her, but it’s Jughead’s shift in attitude that garners Betty’s full concern.

He’s anti-social by nature, her Jughead, but never around her, and especially not since they’ve started dating.

Betty feels a flare of insecurity after the third day of his notable absence in their normal meeting place for their after school walk. Her fingers grip the strap of her bag as her heart constricts unpleasantly in her chest.

“You okay, B?” Veronica asks, reaching out to rub her arm with concern.

Blinking away the mist in her eyes, Betty forces a smile to her best friend and nods. “Yeah,” she lies, chuckling lightly. “Yeah, just thinking about Friday’s exposé for the paper. Sorry.”

“Ah,” Veronica nods, “Because I was under the impression you were upset over your boyfriend’s distance the last few days. _Not_ the mystery of what’s in the cafeteria’s tuna.”

Eyes widening, Betty stares at her friend with slight surprise before feeling her shoulders slump at the knowing look Veronica gives her. “Wait, how do you know about my story on the tuna?”

“Stop deflecting, Cooper.” Veronica guides her by the elbow to her car before they get in. “Spill.”

Heaving a sigh, Betty swallows the knot in her throat and fiddles her fingers on her lap. “…Archie told me he has feelings…” she confesses quietly, glancing slightly to gauge her friend’s reaction. “For me.”

Veronica’s eyes widen in shock as her bright red lips part slightly. “Oh.” She blinks before waving her hand. “What happened? Are you two…?”

Sighing in frustration, Betty looks back down to her lap with furrowed brows. “No! No, I’m with Jughead—“

“So you don’t love Archie.” Veronica interrupts, inclining her head forward as her raven locks tumble over her shoulder.

“Of course I love Archie!” Betty replies curtly, throwing her hands up. “I do, but not like… It’s just different now. I care for him. I love him, but I…”

“You’re not in love with him.” Veronica finishes in a softer tone.

Glancing up, Betty nods, her throat too tight for words. Her friend’s gaze is one of pure understanding and Betty’s suddenly so grateful for her listening ear.

“And Jughead?” Veronica prods further, raising a brow.

“He’s avoiding me.” Betty whispers guiltily. “I haven’t even told him what happened, but I know he notices the awkwardness. Everyone has.”

“We have.” Veronica agrees with a sigh and nod before giving a sympathetic gaze. “You need to tell him, Betty.”

“Yeah.” Betty nods, wiping at her eyes. “Yeah, I do. Would you mind taking me to Pop’s?”

… … …

But Jughead’s not at Pop’s.

He’s not at the construction site of the now demolished drive-in.

He’s not at his treehouse and for once in her life, Betty is positively stumped at where he could be. She texts him a few times, but receives no response. Worry rises in her gut as she glances to her clock, noticing the lateness of the hour.

Throwing her jacket on, her hand twists the knob of her bedroom door before a light tapping from her window pulls a startled gasp from her. Hand to her chest, she turns her head around, pony-tail whipping at the quick motion before seeing Jughead outside the glass, staring solemnly at her.

Betty rushes to the window and pulls it open, feeling her heart speed up and slow down all at once at the sight of him. Her teeth bury themselves into her bottom lip as he crawls in and stands silently across from her.

“My parents aren’t home.” She explains, breaking the silence before he gives a stiff nod.

“Yeah. I uh, I figured by the empty driveway.” He tells her in a soft but guarded tone she hasn’t heard him use with her in months.

Betty closes the window to distract her from the tension in the air, but the heat of his stare is heavy on the back of her head. She walks to her bed and sits slowly onto the mattress, moving her hand up to play with the necklace around her neck.

“You’ve been avoiding me.” She says bluntly, just a hint of hurt in her tone.

Jughead’s emotionless façade cracks under it as his face pinches. His hands bury themselves into his pockets. “…Yeah… sorry.”

Betty frowns. Sorry? Really?

“That’s it?” she grimaces, sitting just the slightest bit straighter. “Sorry?”

Jughead mirrors her expression as his stance goes rigid in defense. “What else do you want me to say, Betts?”

Anger flares inside her at his nerve and she stands up. “How about a reason as to why? I am your girlfriend, or have you forgotten?”

“Are you?” Jughead retorts, immediately looking down shamefaced at his snappy tone toward her.

Betty feels like he’s stuck a knife to her gut and the air rushes out of her lungs in one giant exhale.

“Are you—are you breaking up with me?” she whispers, feeling dread pool in her stomach.

Jughead’s head snaps up so fast she’d be worried about his neck if she wasn’t so distracted with the horrified look on his face. “What? No! Of course not, but I…”

“But what?” Betty inquires, “Why are you pulling away from me?”

“Because I saw you!” Jughead counters, taking a step forward. His gray eyes flicker with pain over her face, down to her lips before settling on her own. He swallows thickly and says again in a lower voice. “I saw you the other day. With Archie. I heard what he told you.”

Betty inhales sharply, feeling her eyes go wide as the uneasy feeling in her stomach gnarls itself into dread. “I—You heard him?”

“Yeah.” Jughead answers, jaw clenching as the hurt in his eyes disappear with the walls he puts up. “I get it, Betty. I get why you didn’t tell me.” He chuckles, but there’s no amusement in it. “Don’t let me be the Phantom to your Christine and Raoul. You’ve loved Archie for years—“

Betty’s blue eyes move rapidly over his face, watching his lips spew words that shift the ground beneath her like a black hole. The surety he has in his assumptions make her furious, and she’s suddenly glaring at him with pursed lips. “You’re absolutely dense, do you know that, Forsythe?”

Jughead’s eyes narrow at her tone and the use of his formal name. “I was just trying to give you what you wanted.” He retorts, “Taking myself out of the picture—“

“And who asked you to do that?” Betty quips angrily. Her bright blue eyes are blazing with emotion as she steps closer to him. But Jughead doesn’t back down. He gives as hard as he gets.

“You didn’t need to.”

“You’re so infuriating!” she scoffs, lifting her nose. “You and Archie, both of you just making assumptions—“

“I heard you say you loved him back!” Jughead responds heatedly. “I _heard_ you, Betty!”

“And I do! I do love Archie!” She cries, feeling her chest tighten at the way his face falls with devastation at her words. Her hands move to clutch the lapels of his jacket as he turns his head to avoid her gaze. She flattens her palm over his chest and steps closer as her voice lowers. “But not like before. He’s still my best friend, Juggie— _our_ best friend,”

When Jughead turns back at her words, Betty can smell the ash on his jacket from the construction site. She can see the hope he’s fighting down at her confession. She can feel the quickened beat of his heart under her palm and his breath over her face, leaving her skin warm at the proximity.

She watches the bob of his adam’s apple as he speaks with an earnest sincerity, breathing the weight of his devotion to her over her cheeks with his words. “I just want you to be happy, Betty. Even if it’s not with me, I want you happy...”

Betty’s chest swells with vigorous affection, almost to a point it where it _physically_ hurts.

Jughead’s bare before her, she knows. Genuinely and honestly giving her the choice to choose what _she_ wants. Her eyes burn with hot tears as she stares up at him, her tongue like sandpaper as the weight of her feelings for him coarse through her body.

_“Because when you love someone, you tell them, Betty! You don’t wait—“_

“And if that means being with Archie…” Jughead chokes on the words, his hurt seeping through the hard exterior he’s fighting to keep up; but Betty shakes her head, moving her hands up to cup his face.

“I love _you_.” Betty tells him in a fierce whisper with narrowed eyes. “I love _you_ , Jughead. _You_ make me happy.”

Jughead’s mouth snaps shut as his lips thin, jaw clenching with the restraint of his own emotions.

“I should’ve told you about Archie sooner.” She admits, feeling the fluttering in her stomach spread out the longer his eyes stare at her with such intensity. “I should’ve—“

Before she can further apologize, his lips slant over her own with a fervid passion that causes her to stumble back in surprise before gripping his arms to keep herself steady.

Betty melts into Jughead’s kiss, her breath hitching when his tongue parts her lips and drinks her in like a man dying of thirst.

Her body sways, but Jughead’s arms wrap around her waist, pulling her flush against him.

“Please,” he whispers almost embarrassedly as he pulls away slightly. “please,”

But Betty’s winded, and she looks at him through lidded eyes before comprehending his repeated plea.

“W-what?” she manages breathlessly, thoughts foggy.

Jughead stares at her as if she’s strung each star individually up in the sky. He stares at her like she’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen and her cheeks flush because of it. Under a gaze so heady, so raw—Betty finds herself disarmed. She feels naked, transparent… she feels like exposed nerves and electricity.

“Say it again.” Jughead speaks so lowly that if her lips weren’t ghosted over his own, she wouldn’t have heard him.

Betty’s heart skips at what he asks of her. She moves to kiss him again, deeply, ardently.

“I love you,” she draws out through the kiss, delighting in the response it elicits from him. Jughead’s fingers dig hard into the flare of her hips and his breath burns in the most enticing way across her swollen lips.

“I love you, too.” He responds, just the slightest of shaking to his already breathless voice. “I've been in love with you for so long, I…”

“Juggie,” Betty caresses his cheeks, pushing back the curl over his eye and smiling tenderly at him. She wants to memorize every contour of his face, every speckled mole, every vein… “Jughead, I know.”

His stance eases as his nerves slip away with her response, a small smile tugging his lips before he kisses her in softer manner, drawing her breath into his own.

Because of course Betty knows. _Of course_ she sees the deepest parts of himself; she always has. When no one else cared to look, she saw him.

She _sees_ him.

And now, under the dim light of her bedroom, rosy cheeked and blue eyes bright with deeper affection he feels unworthy of, Jughead sees her.

His Betty Cooper.

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by this post:  
> https://bugheadcanon.tumblr.com/post/157969255363/thylovelylionheart-i-dont-want-either-betty-or


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